So that you can choose the best VPN. we've tested all of the biggest and best services out there. So if you're looking for a safe, reliable and trustworthy online VPN that's easy to set up and use, we've got the answers on this page.

The first thing we may as well say straight off the bat is that ExpressVPN tops our list of best VPN providers above all others! You can read in more depth below why that is, but in short ExpressVPN is reliably fast, super secure and an absolute doddle to use on your computer or mobile. So if you're new to the world of VPNs, our #1 ranked service is the obvious place to start.

In recent times, VPN services have made giant leaps in growing from niche online products hidden away in a dark corner of the internet to must-have services for anyone with an internet connected device. The need for people all over the globe to isolate has only exacerbated this and it's no wonder that VPN figures are going through the roof right now.

Virtual Private Networks may sound technical, but they have become part of the mainstream now and luckily that broadened appeal has done wonders for the usability of the services themselves. Yes, they offer a great extra layer of encrypted security and anonymity when you use the internet at home or in public, but they have also become a must have for folk wanting to unlock new worlds of Netflix streaming content and wanting to unblock websites at their schools, offices or other countries.

On this page we're going to walk you through all of the best VPN options out there no matter what device you want to use. We'll also explain some of the basics - what is a VPN, how to get set up, how to use it, how to get started, and why you'd even need a VPN online in the first place,

Reasons to avoid

We've said it above and we'll say it again...ExpressVPN is the best VPN service out there bar none. There's a lot of reasons why that is, so stick with us.

For starters, it has numerous servers in a wide range of countries which means you can dial your IP address into 160 locations around the world. That's not the be all and end all (realistically, how often are you really going to fire up that server in Guatemala) but is an immediate indicator that ExpressVPN means business.

More crucial is speed - you don't want your VPN slowing down your surfing, streaming and downloading - and Express delivers great performance across its servers around the world. It’s put the effort into its software too, with dedicated apps for Windows, Mac, Linux, iOS, Android and BlackBerry as well as some Smart TVs, Amazon Fire TV Sticks, Apple TV, PS4 and Xbox and even your router.

Not only that but there are solid online tutorials too, so even if VPNs appear to be dark magic to you they’ll have you up and running in no time. P2P is fully supported and it's super speedy so you can torrent using the maximum bandwidth of your broadband connection and there’s a kill switch that keeps your IP address hidden if anything goes wrong with the VPN or with your internet connection.

More interested in using your VPN for streaming content from overseas? ExpressVPN has got you sorted there, too. In our tests, we check to see whether each VPN can get around geo-restrictions put in place by the likes of Netflix, BBC iPlayer, YouTube and Amazon Prime Video. It ticked all those boxes with ease.

ExpressVPN is reasonably priced, delivers a good service and has support for five simultaneous connections. There’s no free trial available as such but there is a no-fuss 30-day money back guarantee if the service doesn’t meet your requirements so that's a good way to test it out if you're unsure.

Plus, we have used the 24/7 customer service a number of times and can vouch for its effectiveness - we had a couple of issues with using the service on a PC and were able to sort it within a few minutes using the instant online chat support.

Reasons to avoid

There are plenty of reasons to pick Surfshark as your preferred VPN service - it's super affordable, covers an unlimited devices and if streaming is your concern it unblocks Netflix!

Whether you're a beginner or a VPN veteran, Surfshark is super easy and straightforward to get to grips with, plus it boasts a very speedy live chat support - so if you do have any queries these can be solved very quickly.

Let's not forget the unlimited services advantage - this means you can get as many simultaneous connections as you wish, be it on your tablet, phone(s), desktop etc (this is incredible value for money). Although we have seen better Android VPN apps from other providers.

The provider also has a wide range of features and has loads of payment options from credit cards to PayPal, cryptocurrencies, Amazon Pay, Google Pay and even Ali Pay!

But the main hook...the price. It's no surprise at all to see Surfshark ranking at the top of our cheap VPN countdown.

Reasons to avoid

There's no doubt that NordVPN's product is excellent. It has over 5,000 servers in 50+ countries, supports up to six devices simultaneously, runs 2048-bit encryption and has a feature list including an automatic kill switch, dedicated IP addresses, strong DNS leak protection, the ability to pay in Bitcoin and a multi-year plan which is really reasonably priced!

As well as security, we can see why NordVPN is used so frequently by people wanting to broaden their streaming horizons. Nord does it all - Netflix, iPlayer, Amazon Prime, Hulu, YouTube. And with relative ease, too. It has brilliant web support with articles helping to unlock the VPN's potential, and that's backed up by some sterling 24/7 live chat support, too.

We must admit that our confidence in NordVPN was shaken by news that it experienced a data hack in 2018. All companies make mistakes - of course - and we're relatively convinced that NordVPN has put steps into place to make sure no such exposure happens again. That's just as well, because generally this is a tip-top service that is easy to recommend.

Reasons to avoid

IPVanish is one of the most recognisable names among all the VPN services out there. It's been going for years and if you've read about VPNs in the past you've probably seen some of its ads!

It promises to be the world’s fastest VPN, with more than 40,000 IP addresses, 1,400 servers in 70+ countries, unlimited peer to peer sharing and up to ten simultaneous connections.

That's certainly a bonus over ExpressVPN which only offers five connections at a time - IPVanish could be the better option for you if you want to get the whole family on one plan, for example. There’s a clear no logging policy, too, which is great for anyone concerned with privacy and security - the service isn’t gathering or tracking your browsing activity.

IPVanish certainly isn’t going after the budget market here but it's still a bit cheaper than ExpressVPN. Like Express, IPVanish doesn’t offer a free trial (although there is still a thirty day money back guarantee if the service doesn’t live up to your expectations).

Reasons to avoid

CyberGhostmay be Romanian and German-based, but it's a very internationally used VPN, with over 6,000 servers spread across 70 countries. That's some impressive numbers and a realy statement of intent.

It's got a super effective kill-switch which is pretty handy in terms of security, or if streaming is more your concern the server also unblocks Netflix, Hulu and BBC iPlayer.

The speedy live chat support is also pretty handy for anyone who's a VPN newbie or has any questions or queries. You do only get a 24 hour trial for the desktop app, but it does have a 45-day money-back guarantee which is pretty ace.

Another bonus is that it offers plenty of features and has a powerful windows client.

Overall, though, CyberGhost offers you a lot of unusual functionality for a very fair price, and it's well worth a closer look. Plus, its 45-day money-back guarantee is longer than most of the competition.

Reasons to avoid

With plenty of apps, an effective kill switch and servers across 40-odd countries Private Internet Access is a very attractive VPN service. The pricing is decent, too, especially when you consider that a single subscription will cover 10 devices - so you can even share them out with friends and family.

With apps for a Mac VPN, Windows, Android, Linus, iOS and browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Opera, it's compatible with pretty much most software.It may not boast a wide range of apps but the provider does offer a couple expert type features and it's super easy and straightforward to use.

Also, if security and privacy is a concern then the provider has quite a few features that are ideal for this, including a kill switch, flash blocking, cookie cleaning, camera and microphone protection.

With everything that you're getting and the fact that it is super speedy means that this provider is great value for money.

Reasons to avoid

Switzerland is famed for its privacy-friendly legislation, and that’s where VyprVPN operates from - although its servers operate in more than 70 other countries to deliver unlimited data.

Not only that but there are plenty of useful options including auto-connect, a kill-switch and enhanced security via the service’s proprietary Chameleon protocol and its own DNS. VyprVPN has a free trial too so you can try it our and see what you think before you commit!

Reasons to avoid

TunnelBear is designed for a very specific group of people: people who want a VPN service but don’t want to mess around with configuration or become IT experts to make their connections more secure. And it caters brilliantly for that market, with a very straightforward interface and jargon-free writing. In truth, all of the VPN services these days do this but TunnelBear tries very hard to stand out.

It’s not for power users - there isn’t much you can change - but with up to five simultaneous connections, servers across 20 countries and decent performance on US and Canadian websites. Longer connections can be slower, though: it’s when the relatively small number of server locations makes itself obvious. There’s a free version that limits you to 500MB of monthly traffic, which you can use in place of the absent free trial.

Reasons to avoid

Windscribe offers unlimited device connections. Yes you heard that right!There are apps for Windows, Mac and iOS but not Android, and the service also offers browser add-ons with useful features such as ad-blocking.

So that means you can just add Windscribe to your gadgets as you go, never having to think about how many you're already using it on. And that means, if you’re looking to protect the data from a whole bunch of devices - an office, perhaps, or just a smart home - the support for unlimited connections is a real stand-out feature.

Performance improved in our most recent tests - we recorded decent connection speeds across most servers. So it should be able to cater to the needs of most streamers, especially when you consider that we easily got it to unlock foreign Netflix catalogues, BBC iPlayer and more.

Reasons to buy

Reasons to avoid

How much should a VPN cost? Hotspot Shield can be as little as $2.99 a month if you'd rather sign up for a year.

For your money you get a decent range of features including up to five devices, private browsing, virtual locations and good if not stellar performance: we did notice a slight increase in latency when Hotspot Shield was enabled, although it wasn’t too dramatic. There’s a mammoth 45-day trial that gives you more than enough time to put it through its paces.

What is a VPN?

So what even is a VPN? VPN stands for 'virtual private network' and it acts like a private, encrypted tunnel between you and the internet. In practice, it's like a private filter which completely anonymises you online - so no one can see who you are or what you're doing.

VPNs explained in more depth

Even your internet service provider cannot see what you're doing, what you're downloading or where you're browsing to. So a VPN not only makes your connection completely private, it also makes it completely secure. The encryption that VPN services use is foolproof which means no one can hack into your device and steal your data.

The practical uses for a VPN service are plentiful. Want to access a website that your ISP has blocked? A VPN puts that website just one click away. Want to access the US version of Netflix from the UK? Just set your VPN to a US location and you're there. Want to access porn without your ISP or your business knowing about it? Want to download torrents without being blocked by your ISP? It's easy.

Most VPN services are available as apps for any and all of your devices - whether that's a Windows laptop, a Apple Mac, iPhone or iPad, Android device, Amazon Fire TV Stick or even Smart TV. And many allow you to log on from as many as 5 devices at once, so with one account you can secure and anonymise all of your gadgets.

You simply install the app, open it and tell it what you want your location to be. All the encryption is done in the background so simply by switching it on, it'll do all of the hard work for you.

Is having a VPN legal?

There is nothing about using a VPN that's illegal and VPN services themselves do not and cannot do anything illegal.

The only thing that's illegal is if you were to break the law while using a VPN - for instance if you were to infringe on someone's copyright. But that's the action of infringement that's illegal, not the use of the VPN.

How secure are VPN services?

The main reason to use a VPN is security - in theory, the data that travels across your VPN should be impossible for anybody else to intercept, so it can protect your online banking or confidential business communications - but there are other benefits too.

VPNs can make it much harder for advertising to track you online, and they can overcome geography-specific blocks that prevent you from accessing some country-specific services such as online video.

When we say that in theory VPNs can’t be intercepted, that’s because VPNs are like any other form of security: if you use them on a device that’s already been compromised by malware such as keyloggers or other security threats then they can’t do their job properly.

If you’re on Windows, then good quality, up to date anti-virus software isn’t a luxury. It’s absolutely essential.

Can a VPN really make you anonymous online?

VPNs can make your browsing private, but that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re anonymous. VPN services can and do log traffic (even the ones that say they don’t log do need to log some information, or they wouldn’t be able to function properly), and those logs can be requested by the authorities. Think of a VPN as being like curtains: people can’t peek through your curtains if you’ve got them closed, but curtains won’t hide your house.

What that means in practice is that VPNs are fine for bypassing geo-blocks, for protecting your online banking and for keeping business communications free from interception. However, if you’re using the internet to fight repressive regimes or to do anything else that could attract the attention of the authorities where you live, a VPN is not a magic wand that’ll make you invisible.

What’s the difference between a VPN and a proxy?

A proxy server is another way to conceal your real location. By transferring data through a proxy server the data appears to be going to that server, not you - so for example if you’re in the US and the proxy is in Switzerland, the website or service will think it’s talking to a machine in Switzerland. The main difference is that VPNs protect all your traffic while proxies tend to be limited to specific types of data, such as peer to peer networking or web browsing.

Can I trust a free VPN?

Because as the cliché goes, you get what you pay for. Or rather, with free services you tend to get what you don’t pay for in the form of advertising, lower priority connections, blocks on data hungry apps such as peer to peer networking, session limits and in most cases, a lack of any guarantees about service availability or quality.

If you only want to protect a laptop from time to time in a coffee shop a free VPN will be fine, but for anything more serious we’d recommend a paid-for product.

How do I choose a VPN service to download?

To choose the best VPN for you, don’t just look at the price, not least because many services offer massive discounts if you take out a longer term subscription. Start with the basics: how many simultaneous connections can you have? Are there particular security protocols you want to use? Does the provider have servers in the places you’ll want to use it from and the places you want to connect to? How much data will they log about you, and how long do they keep it for?

Wherever possible try before you buy. In some cases there won’t be a free trial, but most reputable VPN providers offer a money back guarantee if the service doesn’t meet your expectations.